


yours truly,

by Ladibard_Wordsmith28



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Declarations Of Love, Diary/Journal, F/M, Love Confessions, Marriage Law Challenge, Marriage of Convenience, Neglect, Severus Snape Lives, Temporarily Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:47:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25494100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ladibard_Wordsmith28/pseuds/Ladibard_Wordsmith28
Summary: Severus Snape chances upon his young wife's journal, a wife he had refused to acknowledge behind closed doors for the last ten years, a wife who is the brightest witch of the age, a wife couldn't help herself but fell in love with him and had stood by him tolerating his distant aloofness. But it is never too late to rectify your mistakes, is it? (one-shot)
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Severus Snape
Comments: 10
Kudos: 177





	yours truly,

_Disclaimer: Au and OCS are my own, the rest belong to JKR_

* * *

**Yours Truly,**

He watched his wife glide over the dais, as she spoke about the link between genetics and magical capabilities, debunking the age-old theories of pureblood and half blood stigma and belief systems. He watched the audience from the wings. Captivated men and women, scholars and professors, students, and theorists sat with their eyes sparkling, their mind imbibing her words.

Severus Tobias Snape, clutched on to the leatherbound journal tucked safely under his robes and watched her. Even in her pastel grey plaited long skirt and her high neck buttoned-down shirt with long sleeves, that gave little hint to her shape, she was elegant as a swan. Her words echoed through the hall and her feet traveled in lazy patterns as she walked and stopped, then walked once again, tracing genealogies and family trees of some of the prominent figures of the wizardry society. 

“Idiot, what an idiot I was,” he cursed himself under his breath, blinking away his tears. 

Ending her speech thanking Draco Malfoy, who nodded from the audience, for volunteering in providing the history of his family and also for encouraging many prominent pureblood and half-blood families to come forward and contribute to her research, she called for the questions to pour in.

Hands shot up in the air, immediately and a feisty student gushed,” What is it like to be Mrs. Snape? I am sure, it is nothing less than an honour?” Draco might have by this time called for the guards, but his wife offered the zealous student a polite smile and replied,” It is an honour indeed, to be Mrs. Snape.”

Another jumped in,” Ten years after the war, the headmaster of Hogwarts, hasn’t lost his touch. Ex-students are heard saying he rules over the school with an iron hand. We presume you, Madam Snape has some contribution to it?”

Snape sneered at the girl from the shadows, but his wife replied with practiced politeness,” Headmaster Snape has the best interest of the students in his heart. Honestly, he doesn’t require anyone else to fuel that sentiment.”

On and on the questions went, making his godson’s face darker but his wife happily replied to each one of them, even if they had little to do with her years of labour and hard work. Her flowcharts and diagrams and her notes stood ignored on the longboard behind her. 

An elderly man with receding hairline came rushing through the other side of the stage and announced,” Ladies and Gentlemen. This is most remarkable, we do have a surprise guest among us. It so seems that the esteemed headmaster of Hogwarts has finally decided to grace his wife’s presentation today. Please pull your hands together for the saviour of Magical Britain.” the stage lights panned on him and the chaperone who had until now dutifully stood behind him, keeping his presence a secret, pushed him subtly into the stage, thereby betraying his confidence. 

He saw his wife’s face grow pale and then they were back to its familiar stoic disposition. There could have been many things he wanted to do. He could have gone back to ignoring her and snarling at the crowd, then reducing those blithering baboons into stammering first years, making a beeline for the exit gate. 

But he closed his eyes and then stared at his wife for a couple of seconds. Perhaps, only Draco Malfoy watched them with interest, while the rest of the hall was busy clicking thousands of moving photographs of this moment. Never in the history of Magical Britain had these two made a public appearance. It was always either of them attending ministry functions. His wife never dressed to impress when she attended them. And when questioned by the nosy press, she mentioned,” My husband is quite impressed by my simple ways.”

He turned at the elderly gentleman, eying both of them with beady eyes and addressed,” Professor Boarhorn, why, thank you for extending your invitation and allowing me to attend such a revolutionary presentation at the very last minute. A presentation, a theory and a profound series of observations, which I might have dreamt of but never could I imagine I will live to see it getting accepted in reality. And for that, I have Madam Snape to thank alone. Though I have certain enquiries of my own, and I presume so do all those in this hall, who actually came to listen to your profound findings…” A hint of a smirk appeared on his porcelain face when he heard the sound of several uncomfortable coughing, but his eyes never left her face. 

His wife looked back at him and with the same staged politeness offered,” What is it that you wished to know, Headmaster?”

Questions flew and answers enveloped them clearing the lingering doubts. Most of them were contributed by her husband and slowly and steadily the audience released if they wished to see their work recognized, they better proved their academic value. The evening drew close and the buffet appeared. He trailed behind her as eager men and women shot their hands forward for handshakes. 

Draco came along when it was time for the couple to head back to Hogwarts. Eyeing both of them knowingly, he just offered a curt nod and went back to the seminar hall. If anyone else was spying on them, they wouldn’t find it strange, if the husband pulled his wife close and hugged her tightly, before apparating away. 

Reappearing under the shed close to the Hogwarts gate, he continued to hold her. She shuddered at their proximity, it was new and she had given up wanting for such things in this life. Only once in that night when they consummated their marriage did he hold her like this. And never after that. Never ever. She battled with her senses which wanted to melt in his strong arms on one hand and on the other, warned her that it could be a trick, an illusion, one of her million daydreams which would never come true. Because, because Severus Tobias Snape had made it clear to her he would never grow to love her. His heart had died with Lily Potter. This marriage was only on papers, an obligation to satisfy the ministry, and repayment of a life debt since she had stubbornly refused to let him die in that filthy Shrieking Shack. 

So she asked, whispering in his embrace, quaking with waves of emotions that were now freely flowing down her eyes, refusing to meet his obsidian ones,” Why did you come?”

He gulped down, tucking his finger below her chin, tilted her head up until her eyes met his own. His baritone voice washed over her like the first rains of the tropical monsoon,” I had to, Hermione. I had to. Forgive me and my blinding rage. Forgive me for leaving you alone to fend off those cats and dogs. How dare they question your intelligence? How dare they mock you, your tireless research, your pursuit to make this magical world worthy? How dare they! Forgive me. All you wanted from me was a quarter of love, a quarter of respect, a quarter of my wisdom and a quarter of my time. You never asked for my heart, nor my mind nor my soul. And I had been a fool…” she went stiff, still ensconced in his arms, and whispered in horror,” What? How? When did you read my journal?”

Rubbing off her tears, he leaned down to place feather light kisses over her scrunched up brow. He felt her restlessness and chuckled,” Dear, those letters you wrote were meant for me. Every night for the last ten years you are penning them down, pinning for me when I was too busy ignoring our life together. Be thankful at least, I accidentally cut my finger, and a few drops of my blood fell over the open journal your half kneazle had managed to drag inside my lab.” Pushing at his chest, she exclaimed,” Crookshanks?!” But he cupped her cheek and pleaded,” I am tired of reading them, I couldn’t sleep, eat or drink. I just had to rush at the break of dawn. Draco has this habit of sending me a guest pass to all your international lectures and seminars. I wanted to see you, watch you and...tell you, that Mrs. Hermione Snape...from henceforth I will love you. I will be everything you have ever wanted of me. Would you like that to happen? Tell me, love, tell me, you can have every bit of me...”

Her eyes sparkled as fresh tears rolled over her cheek and trailing in between his calloused and scarred fingers left behind soft wet kisses over his skin. She gulped and bobbed her head, speechless by his blatant declaration. He only waited for a moment, waiting for her to see his most honest heartfelt smile and then he was kissing her with want and desire that he dearly wished she would never forget. 

When they both broke off, he whispered reverently,” My dear, insufferable know it all, when we first met I honestly had no idea you would be so important to me.”

* * *

Keep calm and write something  
Monday Prompts #16  
This week's words are: I Had No Idea


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